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FOLLOW THE DRINKING GOURD
Celebrate the vitality of the African American musical experience with far more than a concert. Follow the Drinking Gourd draws in listeners through a powerful narrative and images as well as compelling musical performances.
The group first appeared several years ago to hail the New Jersey Secretary of State’s walking tour of Underground Railroad sites and has since performed for scores of schools, museums, and on such civic and library series as those presented by the Free Library of Philadelphia, Burlington County Cultural & Heritage Commission, and the Walt Whitman Arts Center.
The group consists of soprano Shannon Hunt, who’s appeared in opera and musicals in New York and beyond; bass Ivan Woods, a member of the Philadelphia Singers Chorale, the resident chorus of the Philadelphia Orchestra; and pianist Diane Goldsmith, who has performed extensively as a soloist and with ensembles.
Ms. Hunt has a master’s degree from Westminster Choir College and has performed roles with Brooklyn Repertory Opera and Birmingham Opera Works. Her singing has been recognized by the National Association of Teachers of Singing and the Mobile Opera Guild. Read more about Shannon at www.shannonehunt.com.
Mr. Woods studied choral art with Robert Shaw as a longtime member of the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra Chorus, and has also performed under the batons of Simon Rattle, Kurt Masur, and Wolfgang Sawallich, among others. He has appeared on a number of Grammy-winning recordings on the Telarc label.
Ms. Goldsmith studied piano with Gary Graffman, former director of the Curtis Institute, and holds a master’s degree from Manhattan School of Music. Winner of the Mason & Hamlin competition, she has given recitals in Carnegie Recital Hall - now Weill Hall - and in Lincoln Center. She also is in demand as an accompanist and a teacher.
So what's all this about a gourd?
There's a story about our name, harking back to slavery days. A free black man named Peg-leg Joe went from plantation to plantation in the South, doing carpentry work for the masters, but also teaching the slaves how to escape North. A coded song told them to "follow the drinking gourd," meaning the Big Dipper which points to the North Star. Between 50,000 and 100,000 slaves made their way to freedom on the Underground Railroad.